When MS Dhoni asked Hardik Pandya to behave on his India debut

Hardik Pandya revisited the words of Mahendra Singh Dhoni during his international debut in Australia, which has impacted and shaped up his short career and has showed him the way to be on a cricketing field.

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Pandya shared that Dhoni reprimanded him after he got over-excited upon getting his first international wicket. Pandya had got for 21 runs in his first international over and getting Chris Lynn out fired him to the extent of getting an ICC Code of Conduct warning on his debut.

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“It was nightmare, giving 21 runs in my first international over. First time in my life I was blank, I didn’t know what to do. But Mahi bhai being a legend said ‘aaja doosra over daal’ (come, bowl another over). I went for 6 runs in the first ball and it was like 1.1 overs and I went for 28 runs. But after that I gave only 7-8 runs in two overs and took two wickets. He (Dhoni) didn’t say anything but I still remember in the post-match press conference, he said ‘I knew that after the first over, he will be a better bowler for sure’.”

“After getting Lynn out, I still remember I got over-excited. Mahi bhai then said ‘you are doing this thing for the last time because you will get banned plus the team will lose a player. So we don’t want that’. I was like ‘ya sorry’. I might be the first player to get ICC Code of Conduct warning in the first international game. I just thought after that ‘for a couple of slangs, I won’t lose money, it’s my hard earned money,” Pandya told Gaurav Kapur at Breakfast with Champions.

Earlier in the year, Pandya scored his maiden Test hundred in just 86 deliveries against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. With the century, he became the quickest Indian to score a century batting at No.8 in the longest format.

“I asked Shikhar to remove a bit of my hair but he removed it all. I was like it’s alright. I am pretty confident that I can carry it so it’s okay.”